


Not Alone

by mggislife2789



Series: Crossing Paths [2]
Category: Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bullying, F/M, Romantic Angst, Romantic Friendship, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 11:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7800907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chapter Two of Crossing Paths. Spencer's POV on his first day of college. He meets Jade, another exceptional student at the university.</p><p>Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Alone

He took a deep breath and made his way to his first class - Psychology 101. Why was he even in this class? He knew more than most people twice his age, but he was told that he had to take a basic class first to see what classes the school would allow him to skip. That annoyed him more than he wanted to let on, and he was exceedingly nervous. He had been made fun of relentlessly ever since he was a child. Lanky, socially awkward, and wearing glasses, added onto the fact that he was a child prodigy, had him about ready to throw up as he approached the building where his first class would take place. Not only was he in a class with people at least twice his age, but there was another 12 year old attending the University. A girl. Her name was Jade if he remembered correctly. Girls never liked him. They always made fun of his awkward mannerisms. If he made it through the first day without throwing up, it would be a miracle. 

As he opened the door to Psych 101, he felt all eyes on him. “Another one?” he heard a male student in the center of the room exclaim. “What’s with all the fucking little kids?”

“Language, Mr. Thomsen!” the professor barked. “Both Mr. Reid and Miss Poston have IQs over 180. They’re exceptional students. That’s why they’re here.” Spencer hadn’t realized he was standing still in the middle of the room when the professor caught his eye. “Why don’t you take a seat next to Miss Poston, Mr. Reid?”

He made his way towards the young girl with hair the color of chestnuts and eyes somehow two shades darker. Let the ridicule begin, he thought as he grabbed his seat. When he reached into his bag to get his textbook, he noticed that in his anxious, morning rush, he had grabbed the wrong psychology book. She looked at him through her peripherals and he knew that she knew he had forgotten his book. She seemed like she wanted to say something.

Spencer?” she questioned timidly. “It’s okay,” she smiled, “you can look on with me for today.”

Did that just happen? Throughout the entirety of their first class, both Spencer and Jade answered every question the professor asked as if they were reading the text from memory. He was - he knew that. He wondered if she had an eidetic memory like he did. 

After class had been dismissed, Jade started to put her book into her backpack, which was practically the same size as she. The other students stared at them both, muttering under their breaths about being showed up by two children. She hoped the students in the more advanced classes would be a little more open to her, but she figured she’d just have to deal with it for now. At least she wasn’t alone.

He’d walked right into class and she never got the chance to actually introduce herself. “Hi, Spencer,” she said, extending her hand, “My name is Jade.” He placed his hand in hers and was suddenly very aware of the fact that his hands were clammy.

“Hi Jade, I’m Spencer.”

“I don’t think forgetting your book made a big difference.” She laughed. “You have an eidetic memory, yes?” He shook his head as they made their way to their next class.

Together, they made their way through the rest of their morning classes. He found out that she came from a happy family. An only child, she always knew she was different - a feeling he could understand. He only told her vague details about his life. He mentioned his mother, but not his father, or his mother’s mental health. He also told her he’d been made fun of in high school, considering he was only 9 when he started. She seemed to understand that, too, but when he looked at her, he could see that she knew his school experiences were probably 10 times worse than hers. She didn’t press him about it, for which he was truly thankful. He was glad to have someone like himself to talk to, but he didn’t want to tell her his entire life story the day they met.

As their first free period approached, during which time they would be able to grab lunch, he noticed that the knots in his stomach had dissipated. He didn’t feel sick anymore - and he was smiling. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all? Or if it was maybe he wouldn’t be completely alone?

“So, Spencer,” she spoke, as they sat at a free table, “what do you want to study after psych?”

When he talked about his passions, he tended to push people away, especially girls. They always called him a nerd and a geek. He spoke bashfully, “Well, I really like mathematics, English literature and biology. Carl Sagan and Albert Einstein are two of my inspirations.” She looked at him and grinned, “Really?!” She practically jumped out of her seat. “I’m hoping to study Shakespeare at some point. Even if I don’t do anything with it, I’d just like to do it for fun.”

For fun, he thought. He never imagined he’d hear another person say Shakespeare and fun in the same sentence. He was grinning from ear-to-ear as they spoke about math, science, Shakespeare, her favorite play, Othello, and his, King Lear, as well as their future academic dreams. For the first time in his life, he was feeling something he hadn’t before. Content was probably the word for it. He wasn’t alone anymore.


End file.
